Integrations
Gmail
How your agents read and answer email in the Google Workspace mailboxes you choose, replying in the same thread from your own address.
On this page
If your organisation uses Google Workspace, your agents can answer the email that arrives in the Gmail mailboxes you choose, such as reservations@ or support@. Customers write to the addresses they already use, and replies come from your own address, in the same thread. Your email stays in Google Workspace, and the shared inbox stops being a backlog your team has to work through.
What the connection lets the agent do
| Action | What it means for you | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Read and answer email | The agent reads messages arriving in the mailbox you choose and replies in the same thread | A guest asking whether early check-in is possible |
| Keep each thread as one issue | Replies and follow-ups stay together until the issue is resolved | A group booking query across several messages is one conversation |
| Hold replies for approval | Replies wait for a person on your team to approve them, configured during implementation for the mailboxes that need it | Refund requests are drafted by the agent and sent by your team |
| Read attachments | Documents and images attached to an email are read, configured during implementation | A traveller attaches a copy of a flight itinerary |
| Record every conversation | The summary, outcome and next steps are saved to the customer record | The next time the guest calls, the agent knows about the email |
How it connects
The connection uses Google Workspace's standard API (application programming interface: the documented way other software exchanges data with it). Access is granted with OAuth (the standard way to give an application limited access to an account without sharing a password). Your Google Workspace administrator approves the connection for your organisation in the Admin console, and the access is limited to the specific mailboxes the agent works in.
The agent has delegated access to those mailboxes only, and your administrators can withdraw it at any time. Access tokens (the credentials the connection uses) are stored encrypted in your deployment, every call travels over TLS 1.2 or higher (Transport Layer Security, which encrypts data in transit), and the connection runs from your deployment in your chosen region.
For appointments booked into Google calendars, see Google Calendar.
Permissions
| Permission | Needed for | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Read mail in named mailboxes | Understanding the customer's email and thread | Only the mailboxes you name |
| Send mail from named mailboxes | Replying to customers | On, or drafts only where your team approves replies |
| Create drafts in named mailboxes | Holding replies for your team to approve | Configured during implementation |
The agent can only take actions your team has granted. Anything not granted cannot be invoked. See Permissions.
In practice
Qamar Stays connects the reservations mailbox for its Dubai hotels.
- Farah emails at midnight asking to add a second room to her booking for the weekend.
- The agent finds her reservation, checks availability and confirms that a second room is free at the same rate.
- It adds the room, replies in the same thread with the updated total and the confirmation, and saves the conversation to her record.
- In the morning, the reservations team sees the change and the email in the console.
What your team controls
- Which mailboxes are connected.
- Which mailboxes send replies directly, and which hold them for approval.
- Withdrawing access, at any time, in Google Workspace.
Related
- Email and calendarsIntegrations
- Email: mailbox connection, threading and attachmentsChannels
- Email: drafts for human reviewChannels
- Google CalendarIntegrations · Email and calendars
- PermissionsIntegrations
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